Luer connectors as used in medical applications are generally designed to be connected to a patient's IV line, drug or solution source, or other medical implements. For example, in IV dispensing systems, a male luer connector may be connected to a fluid source, and a female needleless luer connector having a needless valve may be connected to a catheter via an infusion line.
It is important to disinfect an exposed surface of a female luer connector before the female connector is mated with a male luer connector. Unless such a disinfection operation is performed on the exposed surface, any microbes (e.g., bacteria) that are present on the surface can find their way into a patient's blood stream via a catheter, thereby exposing the patient to a serious health risk associated with bloodstream infections caused by the microbes.
Typically, the disinfection operation is performed by a nurse or other caregiver who is required to apply a disinfectant swab to the exposed surface prior to the male-to-female luer connection. However, there have been numerous studies that indicate that nurses do not consistently disinfect needleless luer connectors and while education improves compliance, the compliance degrades over time. Causes of the noncompliance include: nurses not having disinfectant swabs at hand and neglecting the duty to obtain more; and the nurses forgetting the requirement to apply disinfectant swabs in the first place. As indicated above, not properly cleaning and disinfecting the connectors can contribute to catheter related blood stream infections and other catheter related complications.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device, system and method that can increase the probability that an exposed surface of a female luer connector receives a disinfectant swab before a male-to-female luer connection is made.